Activision Blizzard (ATVI)

We rely on independent third-parties to develop some of our software products.

We rely on independent third-party interactive entertainment software developers to develop some of our software products.  Since we depend on these developers, in the aggregate, we remain subject to the following risks:

•                  Continuing strong demand for developers’ resources, combined with the recognition they receive in connection with their work, may cause developers who worked for us in the past either to work for our competitors in the future or to renegotiate our agreements with them on terms less favorable for us;

•                  Limited financial resources and business expertise and inability to retain skilled personnel may force developers out of business prior to completing our products or require us to fund additional costs; and

•                  Our competitors may acquire the businesses of key developers or sign them to exclusive development arrangements.  In either case, we would not be able to continue to engage such developers’ services for our products, except for those that they are contractually obligated to complete for us.

Increased competition for skilled third-party software developers also has compelled us to agree to make significant advance payments on royalties to game developers.  If the products subject to these arrangements do not generate sufficient revenues to recover these royalty advances, we would have to write-off unrecovered portions of these payments, which could cause material harm to our business and financial results.  Typically, we pay developers a royalty based on a percentage of net revenues, less agreed upon deductions, but in a few cases, we have agreed to pay developers fixed per unit product royalties after royalty advances are fully recouped.  To the extent that sales prices of products on which we have agreed to pay a fixed per unit royalty are marked down, our profitability could be adversely affected.